The present invention pertains to an IC (Integrated Circuit) card reader which performs processing of information by bringing contactors into contact with IC contact points of the IC card.
There are IC card readers which perform information processing with respect to contact-type IC cards. These IC card readers ensure a state of electrical connection with the IC card by bringing electrically conductive contactors into contact with IC contact points provided on the front face of the IC card, and, through the contact or and the IC contact, perform read or write processing of information with respect to the IC card.
In order to bring contactors into contact with the IC contact points of an IC card, various structures have been proposed for some time. E.g., in JP-A-10-63792, a contactor is ordinarily made to protrude into the card insertion path into which an IC card is inserted. When, as a result of this, the IC card is inserted into the card insertion path and the advanced end of the IC card makes contact against the contactor, the contactor hits the top side of the IC card, and when the IC card has been inserted up to a specified position, the contactor is located on the IC contact point of the IC card and is in contact with the IC contact point.
Also, in JP-A-9-147064, a contact head is disposed in the upper part of the card insertion path by using a linking mechanism, a contactor is provided on the contact head so as to face the card insertion path, and a contact portion is provided so as to protrude to the card insertion path. In this way, the IC card is inserted into the card insertion path by a transport means, and when the advanced end of the IC card makes contact with the contact portion, the contact head is pushed toward the IC card and is moved obliquely downward as a result of a rotation of the linking mechanism, and the contactor is brought into contact with the IC contact point of the IC card.
Moreover, in Japanese Patent No. 2593143, there are disposed, in the upper part of the card insertion path, a component made up of a card groove formed on the lateral face and inclined in a downward direction and a carriage supported by means of a support pin in the guiding groove, there being provided on the concerned carriage a contactor facing the card insertion path and a contact portion protruding in the card transport path. In this way, when the IC card is inserted into the card insertion path and the advanced end of the IC card makes contact with the contact portion, the carriage is pushed by the IC card and moves obliquely downward due to a movement along the guiding groove of the support pin, and brings the contactor into contact with the IC contact point of the IC card.
In the structure of the aforementioned JP-A-10-63792, since the contactor is ordinarily made to protrude into the card insertion path, the leading edge of the IC card makes contact with the contactor when the IC card is inserted, so it is easy for deformation or damage of the contactor to occur. If deformation or damage of the contactor occurs, the contactor no longer makes contact with the IC contact point of the IC card, and the IC card reader can not perform information processing with respect to the IC card and becomes impossible to use. In other words, with the structure of JP-A-10-63792, there is a problem of the IC card reader being short-lived.
Since, in the structure of the aforementioned JP-A-9-147064 and Japanese Patent No. 2593143, the connector head or the carriage is located in the upper part of the card insertion path and the contactor is retracted from the card insertion path when the IC card has not yet been inserted, and the connector or the carriage moves obliquely downward to approach the IC card and the contactor is brought into contact with the IC contact point of the IC card when the IC card is inserted, it is difficult for deformation or damage of the contactor to occur, so the life of the IC card reader can be extended.
However, with the structure of JP-A-9-147064, a relatively large space must be reserved in the upper part of the card insertion path for the purpose of rotating the linking mechanism in order to move the contactor from a position where it is retracted from the card insertion path to a position where it is in contact with the IC contact point of the IC card, since a contact head and a linking mechanism are used, so the IC card reader ends up being thick. Also, with the structure of Japanese Patent No. 2593143, since a guide component made up of a carriage, a support pin, and a guiding groove is used, it is necessary to let the guide component height have a size enabling the formation of a guiding groove having a width exceeding the diameter of the support pin i.e. a size resulting from adding, to the height from the bottom to the top of the guiding groove, the distance from the top of the guide component to the top of the guiding groove and the distance from the bottom of the guide component to the bottom of the guiding groove. As a result, a relatively large space must be reserved in the upper part of the card insertion path for the purpose of disposing the guide component, so the IC card reader ends up being thick. In other words, with the structure of JP-A-9-147064 and Japanese Patent No. 2593143, there is the problem of not being able to provide for making IC card readers thinner.